Dancing on a Tightrope Outtakes
by Angie947
Summary: Outtakes/Alternate POVs from the story Dancing on a Tightrope.


_Shout out to** Capricorn75** for being the best beta in the whole world._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. Promise. _

* * *

_...in which both my parents act like assholes_

**RPOV. **

Hurriedly, I stuff a bunch of t-shirts, underwear, and shoes into my Vera Bradley duffle bag. A few stray tears fall from my eyes. I wipe at them quickly. The cab I had called earlier is sitting outside and if I don't get my act together, it's probably going to leave without me. I sling the bag over my shoulder, grab my keys, and fly out the door as quickly as I can, so as not to run into my mother.

Ugh, that _bitch_.

I so cannot even deal with her right now.

Throwing my bag in the cab, I plop down heavily and let out a huge sigh.

"Well, hey there, pretty girl."

For some reason, if your face is super symmetrical, your eyes are really bright, and you have a really great hair – all of which usually translates into beautiful for most people – everyone feels the need to comment on it all the time. Which is fine. I like compliments as much as the next girl and normally I accept them because I know they're just trying to be nice, but today, right now, I am in absolutely no mood. I roll my eyes and bark out, "32 Manning Street, please."

He nods and as I close the door drives off.

I'm sitting there stewing in my thoughts, my arms crossed against my chest when the cab driver asks, "Are you okay, Miss?"

I look up at him and take in his appearance. I've never understood people who are completely bald yet have extremely long, thick beards. Yuck. "I'm fine."

He laughs lightly. "You don't look fine."

Inwardly, I roll my eyes. "Well, I am."

He clicks his tongue, shaking his head. "You know it's never a good idea to keep all that stuff bottled up. One day you'll just -" He makes the sound of an explosion with his mouth. "Explode. Uncle Tony is not a big fan of pretty girls like yourself exploding."

I scrunch up my face. What the hell is he talking about? "Who the _hell_ is Uncle Tony?"

He grins wide and winks at me in his rearview mirror. "I'm Uncle Tony."

Oh my god, is he really referring to himself in the third person? I glare at him through his rearview mirror. Is he really trying to impart wisdom on me right now?

"Well, I'll keep that advice in mind, _cab driver_."

He grumbles and doesn't bother me for the rest of the ride. Which is what I wanted.

Ten minutes later when we reach my destination, I've started crying again. Annoyed at myself and at the cab driver, who's looking at me like I'm some pathetic little girl, but also like someone he wants to screw, I throw a $20 bill at him, jump out of the cab, and run up to the house. I rustle in my bag for my keys for a few minutes; my vision too blurry to really see anything but colors. Finally, I find them, unlock the door and drop my bag by the door.

I walk straight to the living room, flicking on lights on my way. Uncle J is lounged on the couch, feet on the coffee table, playing on his Xbox, with a headset on, swearing at what's probably a 15 year-old boy. Typical bachelor. If he wasn't just two weeks shy of getting divorced, I would question why there wasn't a half naked girl somewhere. He is attractive enough to have any girl he wanted, really. Well, except for my mother. She is way too complicated for her own good.

Jamming the buttons on the controller energetically he laughs, "Ha, ha. Take that, asswipe!"

He doesn't notice my presence until I plop down next to him on the couch, laying my head heavily on his shoulder. He looks over at me swiftly, turns back to the game. He wraps his left arm around me, pulling me into his chest, and continues jamming buttons on the controller.

"Aw, dammit." He swears angrily, then adds in response to whatever the person said on the other line. "You little fucker."

I watch him play his video game for a few minutes until he dies. He sighs loudly, takes off his headset, placing his controller down next to it. I watch him pick up his phone, text my mother that I'm at his place, and slide the phone back into his back pocket. Uncle J is a good guy. He always makes sure to consider my mother's feelings in almost everything that concerns me. I'm sure when she noticed I wasn't at home that she would have been freaking out.

"You always die at that level." I croak out, my voice hoarse from unshed tears.

He groans loudly in agreement. "I _know_. I was playing with my nephew and he kept calling me pathetic. Little brat."

"You're not pathetic." I hug him tighter, sighing. Tears springing to my eyes instantly. "I'm the pathetic one. I used to think I was stronger than this."

"Hey," He looks down at me softly, running a hand through his hair. "You are one of the strongest people I know, Rosalie. And what you're going through is… the way you're handling it is just fine. It's okay to," He stumbles for the words for a few moments. "It's okay to _act_ like a teenager sometimes, Rose. I feel like you don't know that. I feel like you think you need to be fearless all the time. I know your mother had you pretty young and you had to grow up really fast, but I swear to you that you're allowed to be hurt, you're allowed to be upset, you're allowed to cry."

"I'm just so," I breathe out heavily, blinking tears out of my eyes. "_Pissed_ at her. How could she keep something like this from me?" I pull back slightly to look him in his face. "How could you?"

He wipes a heavy hand on his face and sighs loudly. "It wasn't… my place."

I shake my head at him, disappointed. I get it, but it doesn't mean I don't hate him a little for it. I stand up angrily and head for the kitchen. I've been here so many times, I know this place like the back of my hand. I grab an apple from the fruit bowl, rinse it off, and search for the apple cutter thing.

I hear the sounds of Uncle J's heavy feet and I know he's on his way over. He watches me move around his kitchen for a few moments while I do my best to ignore him in his own house.

"Your mother says you can spend the night." He says, watching me carefully. The guest room of this house, which he used to share with Leah, is basically my room anyway. Anytime my mother has to work late or travel without me, I stay here.

"I want to stay here." I gather my strength, making sure I have no tears present. I look him right in the eye. "I want to live here now. Like, for forever."

Uncle J rolls his eyes at me and pulls himself up onto the counter. "Don't be a brat, Rose. I think running away twice in one week is doing a bit much."

I narrow my eyes at him, grumbling. "I'm not being a brat. If my mother gets to make choices that affect me without any say on my end, I'm going to make choices that affect her."

He laughs, shaking his head. Uncle J takes absolutely no bullshit. I got a lot of my personality traits from him and I think this one is definitely something I learned, too. "You are acting the very definition of a 'brat' right now."

I hate that word. He and my mother love to sling that word around. As if the reason I do things and act a certain way is only to annoy them. I may be selfish, but they're selfish, too.

"I don't think it's fair that I have to live with a horrible woman who lied to me for my entire life. She's awful. I hate her. I never want to see her again. And I never want to speak to her again. The End."

He rolls his eyes again, looking at me with boredom. "Just when I think you're too mature for your own good, you go on reminding me how much of a teenager you really are."

He's so annoying.

I bite into one of my apple slices and chew angrily. "Welp. I'm a bitch, a brat, a hormonal teenager, selfish… is there anything else you'd like to add to that list?"

"Yeah," He nods. "I think 'snotty' would be a good one."

I glare at him and move to storm past him when he grabs my arm forcefully. He points to the space on top of the counter next to him. "Hop up."

"I don't want to – "

"Hop up, Rose."

Huffing, I jump up onto the counter and sit as far away from him as I can. I look at him with irritated eyes. I feel a lecture coming on.

"What?" I snap.

He looks back at me and demands, "I don't ever want to hear you call your mother "horrible", "bitch", "awful" or-or any of the other names I heard you call her today. You can be angry at her, but you respect her. You understand?"

Yup, a lecture. I do my best not to roll my eyes because I know that'll just make him angrier.

"I'm so serious, Rose."

Exasperatedly, I huff. "How can you ask me to a-a-agree to something like that when you know what she just did to me? I'm not just complaining because she lied to me about something superficial. This is real. This is huge. She _took_ the opportunity for me to have a father away from me. Because why? Because she's selfish. Because _she_ didn't want to think about him anymore. How is that fair? She held this huge secret and made both of our lives worse off for it and – "

His eyes flash with anger. He points at me. "She is your _mother_. Everything she does, every action that she takes, every thought that she thinks, every decision that she makes – for the past almost 16 years – she has made with _you_ in mind. Only you. Everything she does is for you, Rose." He turns away from me with a disgusted look on his face. "And for you to just sit here and call her 'selfish' after I watched her give up everything for you…. I-I-I… I watched her soothe your every fever, struggle to pay every bill, provide for you, give you everything that you needed and a little bit of what you wanted, and endure every tantrum that you've ever had – and with this one today that brings your count up to maybe, like, a million – it makes me really disappointed in you, Rosalie."

The moment he says that I burst into heavy tears. The one thing I absolutely cannot stand is Uncle J saying he's disappointed in me. He's always understood me at a level I don't think anyone else can, even my mother, so to hear him say something like this hurts so badly. My mother, even though she's my mother, is probably my best friend. It's always been "me and her against the world" and even though sometimes she has to put on her mom pants in our relationship, she's always treated me as if I could handle whatever situation we were in. But, with this one, she didn't even give me the choice.

Even though, clearly, I'm having a nervous breakdown, Uncle J decides to make me feel even worse.

"You know when your mother found out she was pregnant with you there were countless people telling her that she would be an idiot to keep you, to _have_ you. That she wasn't capable of providing for you. That she would be giving up way more than she was gaining." He rustles his hand through my hair lightly. "I have watched your mother prove them wrong every single day and never regret it. Rose, if she ever did something wrong, it's because she thought it was best for you. Surely you can forgive that."

I look up at him sadly and angrily. I may be mad at her right now, but hearing that there were people out there making my mother feel like shit makes my blood boil. "Who was saying that shit to her?"

His eyes get this far away look and he clenches his jaw. "Lots of people."

I look down at my hands. There's so much about my mother that I really don't know. It makes me sad that she keeps so much of herself bottled in.

"Yeah," Uncle J says as if he knows what I'm thinking. "Being a parent is a thankless job. For Bella to be such a great parent when her parents were actual shit…" I laugh loudly at that. Her mother and father were awful. I think I've seen her mother three times and every time I've seen her dad, he's been drunk out of his mind. "Y'all have so much fun together. And she's gonna make mistakes because she's not perfect. But you have to be on her side because she has _always_ been on yours. You and I are your mother's fiercest advocates. And if we aren't on her team, who is?

"Okay, maybe she doesn't always make the decisions we want her to make." I let out a snort, knowing that he's talking about her love life decisions right now. He narrows his eyes at me. "Your mother's head strong, just like you. And sometimes it drives me absolutely fucking crazy. But we have to deal with it, because she's on our team and we're on hers. So, cut it out. Buck up. Get over it. Move on. Blahblahblah."

I bite down on my lower lip and make a decision. Okay. My mother hurt me. I'm angry at her, and I still kind of want to scream and throw shit. But, she's my mom. And I have put her through a lot of unnecessary fuckery in the past couple years so, while I won't let this slide entirely, I can be forgiving. Because even though I never got to know my father, Uncle J is right. My mother was totally badass in the way she raised me, and I think that I'll be okay.

I wipe my face to rid myself of any stray tears, hopping off the counter. I hear Uncle J hop down as well. I hate crying. It makes me feel so weak.

I laugh, "Damn, though. Edward Cullen?"

I was still in shock that my father was this super famous, super talented guy. It was very "Princess Diaries-esque", without the princess part, of course.

He rolls his eyes and looks away. "Don't remind me." He mutters angrily, "Conceited little prick."

I laugh lightly at his jealousy. "Were they like super in love? Like, Romeo and Juliet love? Is that why she won't really go 'all in' for anyone else?" I ask, curious.

I watch as he curls and uncurls his hands into fists. He looks at me pointedly. "Don't make me talk about this, alright?"

I laugh, patting him on his shoulder. "Alright, Paris."

He glares at me. He's a huge guy, so while this should look frightening I burst out laughing. Uncle J has never stayed this serious for so long.

"I should go home."

He nods in agreement. "You should." He walks over to me and wraps me up in a huge hug. "Love ya, kiddo."

I tighten my arms around him. "Love you, too, Uncle J. "

"Come on," He pulls away from me, grabbing his keys. "I'll drop you off."

By the time I get back to the apartment complex it's 9 o'clock and extremely dark outside.

"Want me to walk you up?" Uncle J offers with a smirk, sensing my hesitation.

"No!" I huff at him, slamming my fist into his chest, which I regret immediately because it was like punching a medal box. "I'm not six, J."

He laughs, knowing I would be annoyed by his offer.

I step out of the car, grab my bag and then motion for him to roll down the window. "Umm. Thanks… for being there. For my mom and me. And for always talking me off the edge."

He mocks salute me. "No biggie. It's part of the BFF pledge I took with your mom when we were six. I'm kind of obligated. Don't think too much of it."

I laugh at his sense of humor and decide since he's imparted so much wisdom and advice on me tonight that I could do the same for him. "Uncle J, I don't know what may or may not happen between you and my mom in the future, but I do know this. She's thankful for you every day. As am I. And whether or not she falls back in love with her super famous, mega-celebrity, sexy, hunky, gorgeous, amazingly talented ex-boyfriend, whom she had a passionate love with-"

"Blecchhh, get to the point!" He interrupts, staring daggers at me.

I smile wickedly. It's always fun to torture Uncle J about his love for my mom.

"The point _is_ that I couldn't imagine anyone else helping my mother raise me. And I don't know if she loves you the way that I think that you love her, but I know she wants you around. You keep us sane. I wouldn't be who I am today if it weren't for you."

Blushing – probably because I called him out on his feelings – he nods. "You're saying it's my fault for this?" He points at me with disgust and frowns. I narrow my eyes at him, flipping my hair over my shoulder. "I don't want any credit. No, thank you."

I flick him off and head toward the building, walking at a slightly swift pace to get inside. Because kidnappers, that's why.

As I near our apartment I hear a loud crash and a man's voice. Immediately, I figure out who it is. Holy shit. I'm about to burst in and kick him the hell out of our apartment when I hear him apologize.

"Bella, if you don't do this _very_ small thing for me, I'm going to pull the courts down over you so hard you won't even have time to blink. And just to let you know, I'm a very public figure."

I don't know what they're talking about, but that sounded like a threat. Who the hell does this guy think he is?

I hear him laugh darkly, "And who knows? By the end of it, I might even gain full custody and she might even be living with me on a permanent basis."

"You wouldn't dare take my daughter away from me." She's crying. I can tell because that is so her 'I'm trying to be firm, but definitely feel weak inside' crying voice.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did you not take my daughter away from me?" Edward's voice sounds incredibly hurt. The idea that they used to be together before is almost unbelievable, but hearing the hurt and anger in his voice makes me believe it a little more.

"So, what? This is your way of getting back at me? Are you trying to hurt me on purpose? Look, I may not be the best mother in the whole world, okay? But I love Rosalie with my whole heart. She is my everything. I just don't want to lose her."

Edward's voice gets impossibly louder here. "You did something wrong, Bella! You don't just get to cry and get a fucking pass on this one! Your actions have very real consequences. And you know what? It might have just cost you _everything_."

The fuck?

I love how these two are just speaking about me like I'm some toy they could pass back and forth like a hot potato. Like I was a possession. Like I would have absolutely zero say in the matter. Assholes.

And this Edward Cullen guy may be, like, my actual hero, but it'll be a dark, cold day in hell before I let him speak to my mother that way again. She gets enough of that from me.

A few moments later I watch as Edward flies out of door, slamming it and then leaning back against it. He closes his eyes, running a hand through his hair and takes several deep breaths. This is so surreal. Edward Cullen is standing in front of me right now in all his perfect glory, and I'm about to rip him a new one. This is crazy.

It takes a few moments for him to notice me, but when he does he freezes. Even though this is the third time I've met him now, it's technically the first time we've been in front of each other both knowing that we're father-and-daughter. His right hand starts twitching and he licks his lips. He stammers for a few seconds, swallows, and then throws me a huge killer smile. I have to look away for a moment so I won't forget my anger.

He breathes out. "Rose, I –"

I hold up my hand to stop him from talking. If there's anything I'm good at, if today's tantrum didn't make that abundantly clear, it's making people feel like shit for doing something I disapprove of. If he's gonna be my father now, I guess it's better he learn that sooner rather than later.

"Did I just hear you threaten my mother?"

His smile drops immediately. He runs a hand through his hair and gives me a guilty look. "I, um – "

I interrupt. "Because when I walked up a few moments ago I _thought_ I heard that, but I wasn't – I wasn't sure. So, I figured I'd better ask before I jumped to conclusions." I laugh sarcastically, narrowing my eyes at him. "Because I'm a big conclusion jumper, Edward. Huge."

Inwardly, I roll my eyes at my Pretty Woman reference. Damn my mother for her enjoyment of rom-coms.

"Rose, I - It's not –"

I pull off the wall and walk closer to him. "It's crazy because I thought I heard you threatening to take me away from my mother, to drag her through the court system when you know very well she doesn't have a penny to her name. I heard you threaten to drag her personal and private life through the media – "

"I – "

"You threatened to use your power and fame and celebrity to humiliate her and ruin her life. Did you not? Did you not make her feel like shit and not even bat an eyelash because, what, you were angry and upset and wanted to prove a point?" Clearly, we have a lot in common. He is most definitely my father. "From what I've gathered you're supposed to be her one. Her one true love, the one who ruined her for all other men, the one she'll never forget. But what I just heard did not match that sacred person."

He looks at me earnestly. "You don't understand. I – "

"What my mother did was asinine and hurtful and I am just pissed as hell at her right now and I'm sure you are, too, and we can yell at her about it later together, but she is my _mother_. And that means something." I think back over to what Uncle J was reminding me earlier this evening. "It means that for the past 16 years, she has soothed every fever, endured every tantrum, watched every recital, paid every bill…" I look down for a few minutes as what Uncle J was telling me earlier begins to make so much more sense and gives me a clarity I didn't have moments ago. Suddenly, I feel awful for the way I reacted and I decide that I will never let someone treat her like that ever again. Even myself.

I look back at Edward with stern eyes and continue vehemently, "She lets me cry on her shoulder, gives me advice, yells at me when I'm wrong. She makes shit money and gives most of it to me so I can go to a great school. And I never thank her for it. She gave up fucking Julliard to have me. To raise me. You know, she didn't give me up for adoption like everyone, including her asshat of a father, was telling her to. And, besides all that, she is my best friend. And I love her more than anything else in the entire world." I look him dead in the eye and declare, "We are all each other has. She raised me. And you are going to respect that."

Okay, speech over. I take a deep breath, run a hand through my hair again and place the other hand on my hip. I look back at him darkly, right in the eye. Edward Cullen is going to learn today that I am no one to fuck with.

"So, I'm gonna ask you again. Did you. Just threaten. My mother."

He rubs the back of his neck with his left hand and shifts his weight from one leg to the other. Opening and shutting his mouth maybe five times; eventually I can't take the silence anymore.

"Whatever." I push past him to get to the door. I think I put enough fear into him that he won't talk like that to her again. At least, not in my presence. And I don't want to be so rude to him that he doesn't want to get to know me anymore, because I still think he's, like, the coolest guy in the entire world.

He grabs my arm before I can enter the apartment. He stares at me silently and then sighs.

"Rose, I want to –"

"You know," I figure one more guilt trip couldn't hurt. I pull away from his grasp roughly. I give one more sarcastic laugh as I step inside. "It is _sooo_ awesome to know that I have two assholes for parents."

And then I slam the door in his face.

I still can't believe that my father is Edward Cullen. And I probably can't tell anyone.

Fuck. My. Life.

* * *

_Be on the lookout for the next chapter of DOAT. It should be out at the latest Sunday/Monday of next week! _

_Love you guys! Thanks for being the best readers ever! _

_Angie :) _


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